You are here

Johnson laments 'tough day in the office'

Scotland head coach Scott Johnson lamented a ‘tough day in the office’ after his side were comfortably beaten by their English rivals in today's RBS 6 Nations clash at Murrayfield Stadium.

A lack of discipline and possession were crucial to the loss however, at 54 minutes, the Scots commitment to their defensive efforts meant that they trailed by just 13 points.

Unfortunately that was set to change just one minute after they were reduced to 14 men, and unable to maintain the width needed to keep England at bay as they crossed the whitewash with the killer, converted score.

While the scoreline at full complement presents a close case for the men in blue, it was the side’s inability to attain and retain possession and subsequently build pressure that left the side so frustrated.

Speaking in the immediate aftermath, Johnson said: “It was tough day at the office.

We were out-muscled and you can't do much if you don't have the ball. We fell into England’s strengths a bit.

"We have some naivety in our side. Excluding Sean Lamont, our backline is inexperienced. Even with, for example, Stuart Hogg, a British Lion; he hasn’t played a lot of test rugby.

“When we did have the ball we would try to do things that were not appropriate which means you then have to chase your tail.

“We were still in the game at 13-0 down but the try when we had a man in the sin bin really hurt us.

England are a quality side. We showed a bit of resolve but the skills were not there."